More than a game
→→→ Jilting the tits ←←←
By Bunmi B. Gabriel (BB)
Book six
Hans’ standpoint
I chuckled as Iris tugged at my sleeve impatiently, the elevator was still rising to her floor. After school, I took her to the hospital and she was just too impatient, so impatient she wanted the elevator to magically take her to the hall. ‘Calm down,’
‘I’m calm,’
‘Sure you are,’ I drawled sarcastically. She g@sped when the elevator dinged. Immediately the door opened, she flew out of it, running out like she knew where she was going. I walked out with my hands in my pocket, walking very slowly as I watched her bounce with excitement. She st©pped running and looked at me with confusion.
‘Where is she?’
‘Last room at… And she’s gone.’ I chuckled, she ran off. I sauntered to the end of the hall, taking it as an opportunity to give her time to speak with her mother. I got to the door in four minutes, but didn’t enter. I leaned on it, waiting for her. The door was opened slightly.
‘…it’s not like I’m doing anything wrong mom, just helping him.’
‘One of you would get hurt and it might be you,’ her mother said softly. Iris hissed.
‘It won’t, I don’t care about it. I really want to help him mom, Hans is a good person, just blinded by hate.’
No I’m not.
‘How long would this childish game last?’
‘I don’t know, I just hope you’ll get better.’
‘Baby, you know that he is only paying for the bills, not guaranteeing my survival. He has no power over such things, life and death is not his to control.’
‘I know,’ he voice cracked. ‘But having one person offer to help me for such simple condition for the first time in my life, makes me hopeful. Before, I felt hopeless thinking that you would die because I couldn’t do enough just like I couldn’t do enough for mom. I would never have been able to forgive myself if I lost you without trying to save you. Now if anything should happen, I wouldn’t kill myself knowing that I tried. I didn’t let you die because…’
‘Iris, you didn’t kill your mother, Poppy died on her own, you were just a kid, what could you have done?’
Her biological mother is dead?
‘You don’t un-derstand mom, you don’t get it, you will never get it. No one un-derstands, no one. It all happened because I couldn’t keep my sanity. If I did, she would have had something to hang on to, she…he killed her.’
‘No, Iris, plea-se don’t do this, don’t start again… Iris, you are shaking again, where’s your medicine? Iris!!!’ I snapped out of it. I knocked on the door, hoping it would snap her out of whatever was happening. Ten seconds, no answer.
‘Is that you Hans?’ Iris asked shakily.
‘Yes, can I come in?’ I asked calmly, or trying to sound calm.
‘Yeah,’ I opened the door and walked in, smiling from ear to ear like everything was okay.
‘What’s up Mrs. Hathaway!’ I said rowdily. The woman smiled. She was a blue eyed brunette with tan skin. She had freckles on her face but she was beautiful. Looked nothing like Iris, I know why now.
‘Hello Hans, nice to meet you again,’ she smiled. Iris was looking away as she quietly opened a bottle of pills. I pla-yed oblivion.
‘Hope the doctors here are attending to you properly,’
‘Yes, it is very comfortable here. The nurses are very nice and polite, the doctors as-signed to me is very friendly. The owner c@m£ to check on me, he’s very nice. Is he your uncle? He mentioned something like that.’
‘Hmm, we aren’t directly related but he is my father’s best female friend’s husband.’
‘Hmm, I see, thank you for your help.’
‘You’re welcome,’ I sat down on the be-d close to and looked at her. ‘Unicorn, you okay?’
‘Uni…what?’ Mrs. Hathaway chuckled.
‘Oh, that’s my snuggly-pie’s new nickname for me.’ She purred, twi-nkling her lashes cutely. I rolled my eyes.
‘Unicorn,’ Mrs. Hathaway laughed. ‘Don’t you hate unicorns?’ She asked between her laugh.
‘That is why he shouldn’t call me that but he wouldn’t listen!’ She shouted with red face.
‘Are you normal?!’ I shouted out for no reason.
‘Why ask that? It has nothing to do with this rising argument.’ She huffed.
‘It has everything to do with the do that is yet to be done in the doing. My mother once told me that those who do have the greatest mind to do all the do’s in this earth. Tell me, what other do that can be stated above the selected do’s?’
‘That doesn’t make any s-en-se!’ She shouted, throwing her hands in the air.
‘Of course it does,’ I said proudly, nose up high with pride. ‘As long as I say it, then it makes s-en-se.’
‘God,’ she face palmed herself. ‘This is what I have to deal with mother, this!’ She stretched her hands towards me with frustration. I laughed and punched her arm. ‘Great, he’s a puncher.’
‘I am not a puncher but a sl@pper, should I sl@p you to prove it?’
‘I didn’t argue with that.’
‘You just did, let me prove it…’ I raised my hand to hit her. She screamed and coll@psed on the be-d. ‘Is she dead?’ I asked with eyes wi-de open. She suddenly jumped up, ma-king a surprise attack to pin me down.
Do she really think she can pin a football pla-yer down?
I gr@bb£d her arms and spun us around, slamming her on the be-d. She kicked the air but I knelt on her legs. ‘Pinned.’
‘Hey! No fair! You’re stronger!’
‘You agree to the fact that I am your big, strong…’
‘Ugly….’
‘s£xy,’ I corrected. ‘Gorgeous and superman b©yfri£nd, right?’
‘re-ad myl-ips, no.’ She growled. I moved her hands up and pinned it above her head, ma-king sure I had more pressure.
‘re-ady to accept?’
‘Good b©yfri£nds don’t pin their girlfriends on a hospital be-d and tell them to admit such stupid confession.’ She huffed.
‘You’re right, they pin them to their be-d or the wall and fu-ck them…’
‘Ahem,’
Oh $h!t, forgot she was there.
Iris’s face turned crimson in embarras-sment. I let go of her hands but remained seated on my legs which were pinning hers. Iris glared at me accusingly. ‘What?’ I asked, feigning innocence.
‘Hans, can you get off my daughter and take this discussion to your be-droom…’
‘Mom!’
‘I’m a un-derstanding woman my dear, I know when two hor-nyteenagers are trying to get to work…’
‘Mom!’ Iris shouted inches.
‘That’s right Mrs. Hathaway, you rule. Give me five?’
‘Oh course in-law,’ she gave me a high five while Iris stared at us with mouth open. ‘God bless you son.’
‘Hans, get off me! I’m shouting too much now,’ she added softly. ‘plea-se.’
‘Just admit defeat to the handsome gentleman and you’ll be free… Dear, should I give you both some privacy?’
‘Yes Mrs. Hathaway.’
‘Call me Arlene,’ she said wi-nkingly. I win-ked back at her.
‘Mom, are you flir-ting with him?’
‘Daughter, are you blind?’
‘Hans, what have you done to my mother? Did you switch her br@in? Just tell me, I’ll forgive you.’ We both bur-st into laughter. I fell off her, falling on Arlene’s l@ps. She laughed along with me. Iris stood up, a puzzled and incredulous look on her face.
‘You know, you are absolutely cute. If I was younger, I would have asked you to marry me.’ Arlene purred, she wanted to tease her daughter. Her f!ngerswere in my hair, smoothening it as she looked into my eyes. Her eyes were shallow due to her illness, extremely pale.
‘Well, I’m not exceptional to gorgeous s£xy older women,’
‘Oh gosh, I’m seeing and hearing things,’ Iris said with disbelief. ‘I’ll be back,’ she stood up and ran to the bathroom. Arlene and I laughed.
‘This is the first time in seven years she has ever spoken a s£ntence as long as this. She doesn’t say anything other than, okay, yes, thank you or little bit longer. And she definitely doesn’t react with any emotion rather than sadness, bitterness and phlegm. What have you done to her?’ She couldn’t believe her own words.
‘I didn’t do anything,’ Iris returned with we-t hands over her eyes.
‘I’m going to open my eyes now and not see any weird thing, okay?’
‘Weird thing like k!ss!ngyour mom?’ She re-moved her hands and glared at me. She stood with arms akimbo, tapping her foot in annoyance.
‘What are you still doing on her l@ps? Get off my mother,’ she stomped her foot. ‘I’m not going sharing my mother with anyone. I don’t even want a stepfather, especially a ugly one.’
‘Honey, am I ugly?’ I asked Arlene poutingly.
‘The most gorgeous and absolutely cutest man on earth, don’t mind that jealous one. If she doesn’t want you, I do.’
‘This is insane,’ she whined. ‘Hans, get off her and let’s practice social distancing.’
‘Will you cheer for me on Friday?’
‘Cheer? Who’s cheering?’ Arlene asked alre-ady getting excited.
‘I’m the quarterback of…’
‘Oh my wow! I love football!’ She skrie-ked.
‘Good for you mother,’
‘Anyways, I want her to cheer for me but she said no.’ I whined poutingly.
‘What arrant nons-en-se! What are you talking about Iris?’
‘The crowd…’
‘You prefer to spend the night drowning yourself in cookies and books? Don’t you get tired of being alone? The loneliness? It’s good to be out there with kids your age…’
‘Mom, I’m seventeen, I can make decisions for myself.’
‘You are seventeen? I thought you were fourteen?’
‘Again mother, that was three years ago.’
‘I can swear it was last year,’
‘Last year, we spent my birthday in a hospital, you were unconscious.’ Iris murmured.
Red light! Conversation changing!
‘Can you come? plea-se?’ I pleaded. ‘Come or I’ll put stultiloquence to action.’
‘That threat is useless,’
‘I know, Arlene, beg her for me, plea-se?’ I battered my lashes at her. She chuckled and looked at Iris with her own puppy eyes.
‘Fine, but I’m still joining the cheerleader.’
‘Yes!’
Jonathan’s standpoint
I drummed my f!ngersas I waited for my ice cream, I had been waiting for over ten minutes now. It was taking too long. I was with my friends as they blabbe-d about their day without me in school. We used to go to the same school, but after I almost got a girl pregnant, dad had to transfer me to Dark. I really miss my school and I was yet to deal with the bit-ch that caused it. She got pregnant and pinned it on me, thank God she had a miscarriage but that left me with a stain.
‘So, did you meet any cute chick in Dark?’ Benjamin asked curiously.
‘No, all are ugly.’
‘Bah! Dark Empire, the home of s£xy girls and celebrities? Tell me something else we can believe.’ Thomas replied. I had three friends; Benjamin, Thomas and Gregory.
‘I didn’t see anything,’
‘Thing? You call them things?’ Greg asked incredulously.
‘Yes, things…’ I remembered the girl that bu-mped into me. She was quite pretty but I was too angry then. I was still regretting why I was so mean to her, she didn’t do anything wrong. ‘I met one but I chased her away with my rudeness.’
‘What did you do?’
‘She was dancing like a weirdo, bu-mped into me and apologized but I snapped at her. I didn’t mean to. It was my first day there and I was upset.’
‘Ah! I won!’ Ben skrie-ked, ban-ging the table. I rolled my eyes, they always bet on me. ‘Annalise is mine!’
‘No, let’s rearrange our agreement,’ Tom argued.
‘No, Ann is mine!’
‘Mine what? We never signed an agreement,’
‘Thomas, what is your problem? We agreed…’
‘Hadley in the house yo!!!’ I flin-ched at the shout. I rolled my eyes to the shouter. It was her! She looked more beautiful than she was in the morning, her ginger hair fell down her face in a mess but she still looked gorgeous. She wasn’t wearing any makeup yet she still looked amazing. The only problem was what she was wearing; red crazily r!pp£dmojo jeans, one I think she r!pp£dherself with a scissors, two different types of sneakers – red and blue – orange and yellow belt and blue and white tartan crop t©p.
Don’t ask me how I know, my mother’s a designer.
‘Wow, she’s crazily gorgeous.’ Tom commented.
‘That’s her,’ I whispered.
‘Hello Jodie!’ She shouted as she leaned on the counter. ‘How’s the shop? Mel s£nt me to check on you all!’
‘Good evening to you too Lee,’ the girl chuckled. ‘You can st©p shouting, I’m right here.’
‘Oh, shhh,’ she whispered. ‘Is this quiet enough?!’ She shouted louder. The girl laughed. ‘How’s everything?’
‘Just the way Miss Briceno left it, do you want to check the sales book?’
‘Ah, that’s gonna be a problem. You know I don’t have anything up here, I can’t calculate. If I see that book, I’ll die here.’ I chuckled at her words, as did many.
‘Then what would you have me do?’
‘Give me a jar of different flavoured ice cream, as big as my head… No, my head is too small. Add my head and yours, and Mel’s, and Bluey’s, and Hailey’s and your big bre@sts. That is the size I want.’ I stood up.
‘Where are you going to?’ Ben asked.
‘I’ll be back.’
‘Sorry Lee, we were banned from giving you too much sugar.’
‘But why?’ Lee whined. ‘I’m your most valuable and best buying customer.’
‘Sorry, but it is Miss Briceno’s order.’
‘I don’t blame her, I’ll buy somewhere else… No, mom had me banned from all ice cream shops. Immediately they see me, they’ll call her… Idea,’ she snapped her f!ngers. ‘Disguise!’
‘Hello,’ I said nervously. She turned her head around, her smile dropped slowly. ‘I know you are going to snap but I c@m£ to apologize for how I behaved. I was upset this morning because my father f0rç£d me to transfer to the school, I’m sorry.’
She eyed me mirthlessly. ‘I’ll be back Lee,’ the girl hurried to the other side. Lee suddenly giggled.
‘You know my name, right?’ She whispered.
‘Lee,’ I whispered, leaning closer to her and pla-ying along.
‘Buy me enough ice cream and we’re even,’ she quic-kly ran out. The girl c@m£ back.
‘Where did she go?’
‘Home, I chased her,’ I said sadly. ‘Can I just get three large sized ice cream? Each mixed with three flavours? I nee-d to drown myself in that.’
‘Okay,’ I waited patiently for her. She returned with my order. I paid for it and walked out to the parking lot. She was sitting on the roof of her car.
‘Eek!’ She squeaked. She jumped down from the car and ran to me. ‘Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!’ She took the bags and squealed again. ‘Thank you so much…?’
‘Jonathan, but my friends call me Nathan and few, Jonah.’
She blinked cartoonishly. ‘Johnny, Johnny Test! Johnny Test! This is a song for a boy named Johnny Test!’ She sang loudly.
‘You’re gonna call me that, aren’t you?’
‘Yup,’ she popped. ‘Bye Johnny! See you in school tomorrow!’
‘I’m right here, don’t shout.’
‘It’s fun to shout!’
‘Shhh,’ I shushed, placing my f!nger on myl-ips.
‘Shhh,’ she sibilated too. ‘Okay, shh,’ She whispered. ‘Got it,’ she gave the bags back to me. ‘Carry it Test,’ she turned and skipped to her car.
Wow, expensive.
‘Why are you wearing two different shoes?’ I asked as I stared at her feet. She was skipping.
‘I couldn’t decide which one to wear, so I wore one of both.’
‘Next time, wear one and don’t add so much colours, it’s blinding.’
‘But I love it,’ she whined.
‘Just try to wear something you love but not too crazy. If you wear the red shoes once, you can wear the blue another time, okay?’
‘Sir yes sir!’
I chuckled. ‘Can I have your number? I really nee-d a friend…’
‘Ooh! Autogra-ph!’ She beeped her car open and jump in. I chuckled and handed it over to her. She took the bags and placed it in the pas-s£nger seat. She picked up her pen, got out and popped her pen open. She took my palm, she scribbled her numbers down, signed too and closed it. ‘There,’ she tossed the pen away. ‘Thanks for the ice cream.’
‘You’re welcome,’
‘Yay Johnny,’ she surprised me with a k!sson my cheek. She got back into her car. ‘Bye Johnny!’ She slammed her door close and started the engine.
I watched her until she drove off, my hand still on my cheek. What kind of girl is this?
To be continued.